From Dare to Due Date

by Christy Jeffries

  “All right, well I appreciate your helping me out just for the next couple of days.” He purposely paused to emphasize that her receptionist skills—or lack thereof—would only be temporary. “My first patient is a referral from a friend and she’s coming in an hour. Have her fill out these forms and get copies of her insurance card. Technically we’re not open for business yet, and I don’t expect many calls in the next few days, but if you could answer the phone and take down messages for me, that’d be great.”

  “No problem, Doc. And keep in mind that I can only volunteer for the next two weeks. I go on my sabbatical after that.”

  He couldn’t imagine what a woman like Cessy Walker needed a sabbatical from. But he wasn’t going to ask because he had a feeling she’d tell him.

  He took a seat behind the battered desk he’d found online. Garrett wasn’t in the habit of using money he hadn’t earned himself, and he’d already dipped into his trust fund account to finance the building and splurge on his top-of-the-line medical equipment. While he wanted to make his patients comfortable, he didn’t really see the need for wasting money on decorations or frivolous extras when it was surgical equipment and state-of-the-art radiology machines that he needed most. But hiring a full-time professional staff just jumped to the top of his to-do list.

  He probably should’ve made a telephone call, but he didn’t want his new “receptionist” to overhear his very personal conversation. So he fired off an email to Cooper, listing as much information as he could think of about the mystery woman from the hotel. He told himself that if she wanted to be found, she would’ve left her contact information. But the more time he spent recalling every little detail about that night, the more obsessed he became with locating her and seeing her again.

  Maybe he was romanticizing it. Or maybe he didn’t like the lingering feeling of rejection. Although he’d grown up a pampered rich kid, it wasn’t as if he was some spoiled brat who only wanted things he couldn’t have. Most likely, it had been a one-time experience and, if he met her again in person, none of that sizzling spark would be there anymore.

  But what if it was?

  He clicked Send and then slammed his laptop closed. This whole search was probably the most futile endeavor he’d ever embarked upon. And it would probably only give Cooper extra ammunition for busting his chops. Garrett needed to focus and get back to work.

  He was putting away supplies and arranging one of his exam rooms when he heard his first patient arrive. She was early and he wasn’t quite ready. Besides, he didn’t want to look too eager—as if he had nothing more important or doctoral to do with his time.

  Cessy Walker’s voice carried back to him as she greeted the patient. “Mia, you’re going to just adore Dr. McCormick. He’s a family friend and is known to be the best orthopedic specialist in the state. He’ll have your knee all fixed up in no time.”

  Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but his suddenly fragile ego could use the boost. Also, technically, he was a friend of the new husband to Cessy’s former daughter-in-law, but in a small town such as this, he figured everyone had some kind of connection with everyone else. The woman might not be experienced as a receptionist, but perhaps she’d been right in declaring herself an asset to his growing practice.

  He looked at his stainless steel watch. It would probably take a few more minutes for the patient to complete the insurance paperwork, so he went back to puttering.

  After about ten minutes, he heard murmuring, and then Ms. Walker’s voice again. “Great. Follow me on back to the exam room.”

  Garrett was shoving his left arm into the sleeve of his white lab coat when his receptionist walked in and handed the file to him.

  “Doctor, Mia Palinski is here to see you,” Cessy said then walked out, leaving Garrett face-to-face with his first patient.

  But instead of sticking out his hand to introduce himself, he froze when he recognized the midnight-black hair, the pale blue eyes and the graceful body he could never forget.

  Chapter Four

  No, Mia thought. No, no, no.

  GPM was here in Sugar Falls? And he was her doctor? How had this happened?

  “It’s you,” was all he said. She stood there, stiff and numb, drinking in the sight of him, at a complete loss of what to say without looking foolish.

  “You live here in Sugar Falls?” he asked when she remained silent. His eyes hadn’t stopped their constant perusal of her. “How could this have happened?”

  His words mirrored her own thoughts so exactly that the nervous giggle she’d been trying to swallow almost bubbled out. But then he smiled as though Santa had just delivered a long-sought-after Christmas gift to him and a familiar cold panic spread through her. Mia reached for the file, the one containing all her personal information, including the fact that she was now carrying this stranger’s child, and tried to yank it from his hands. The hands that had so skillfully brought her body to life just two months ago.

  Judging by the way he was gripping the manila folder, she probably would’ve had better luck ripping a present away from a child. She dropped her arms instead, the instinctive response of flight winning over her urge to fight.

  She inched backward, calculating an escape route in her mind. The exam room was in the farthest corner of the building and if her knee was in better shape, she could probably make it out of his office in less than three seconds.

  But then she recalled that the self-appointed socialite of Sugar Falls was sitting right outside and had a penchant for spreading her unsolicited opinions around town. Of course, it wasn’t as if Mia was going to be able to hide her pregnancy much longer, but she would’ve at least liked to keep the baby’s paternity somewhat secret.

  Which brought her back to the question: How had this happened? What in the world was he doing here? And how was she going to deal with the consequences of her actions?

  “Miss,” he paused and looked down at the file still in his hands. “Palinski? It is miss, right? Not missus?”

  His eyes seemed to be pleading with her to assure him that she wasn’t married. Was he hoping that if she was single, she’d be up for a repeat performance? She didn’t respond only because she didn’t want to feed his unrealistic expectations.

  Of course, he’d find out the answer soon enough since he was still holding on to her medical history, which clearly listed her full name, insurance information and, unfortunately, her address. But that didn’t mean Mia had to show her hand just yet.

  “Why don’t you step inside so we can talk—” he looked pointedly at her feet, which were now completely backed into in the hallway “—more privately.”

  Being alone with this guy was the last thing she wanted. But it wasn’t as if she could hide from him if he was truly setting up shop in Sugar Falls.

  At least, not yet. Plus, Mrs. Walker would be right outside the room, probably with a stethoscope pressed against the door, and could hopefully intervene if things took a bad turn.

  Mia took a deep breath. Really, she knew better than to project her one bad experience onto other men. She needed to think logically. GP or Dr. McCormick or whatever his name was was a reputable surgeon. Her best friend’s husband—the chief of police, for crying out loud—had been one of his patients. Chances were he wasn’t some obsessed sociopath who, several weeks after meeting her, decided to uproot his whole life and move his medical practice to Sugar Falls, Idaho, in order to stalk her.

  Besides, she’d already let down way more than her guard with him before.

  Maybe that was what she was really afraid of. She’d already proved that she couldn’t trust herself alone in a room with him.

  He put his hand on her elbow and Mia immediately flinched and pulled her arm away. He looked surprised and a bit offended by her response, and she felt so stupid for being there in the first place. She swallow
ed a gulp of air and entered the room, turning around quickly so that she wouldn’t have her back to him or be susceptible to a surprise attack.

  Calm down. He isn’t Nick. He’s not going to hurt you. Even as Mia tried to reassure herself, she couldn’t help but take inventory of her surroundings. Old habits died hard when she was thrown into an uncomfortable environment. Plus, she had more than just herself to protect now.

  There was an exam table, which she had absolutely no intention of lying down on, a stool and a hard plastic chair that looked like the kind her elementary school would’ve thrown out a couple of decades ago.

  For a guy with impeccable taste in shoes and scotch, he really could benefit from hiring Cessy Walker as a decorator rather than a receptionist.

  “Do you mind if I close this?” He was holding the heavy birch wood door and Mia was grateful he was at least giving her the option of escaping. She nodded after checking to ensure there were no internal locks on the knob.

  The room was small and they stood inches away from each other. The only way to put some distance between them would be if one of them sat down, but she didn’t want to put herself at a disadvantage.

  “Well, Mia Palinski, I didn’t expect to meet you again.”

  “I didn’t expect to meet you the first time,” she said before thinking better of it. She was a natural peacemaker and hated confrontations. Plus, her mother had drilled politeness into her from a young age, warning her she never knew when she’d come across a potential talent scout or rich stepfather. “Sorry. This is all so unexpected and I’m not usually so flustered like this—not that you would know. We don’t really know each other at all.”

  “As I recall, we never did officially introduce ourselves. I’m Garrett McCormick.” He held out his right hand, his other still gripping her file.

  “Mia Palinski,” she said, sticking out her own to shake his. Yep, there was no forgetting those hands. He had on silver knotted cuff links this time and she wondered what it was about this guy that made him want to dress to the nines, even at work. “Wait. I thought your name was GP.”

  “How’d you know my nickname?”

  “I could hear...uh...your father call you that when you were talking to him on the phone in the bar.”

  His eyes grew darker, from hazel to a cloudy deep brown, and she mentally kicked herself for bringing up a touchy subject.

  “Well, only he calls me GP anymore. It’s short for Garrett Patrick. But if he’d had his way, he would’ve just named me Junior.”

  “You don’t really look like a Junior,” she said, not sure she wanted to bring up the subject of overbearing parents again. Although, it was safer to talk about that than the big pregnant elephant in the exam room.

  “I’ve tried my whole life not to feel like a Junior, either.” That was pretty telling. And so was the fact that Mia’s small hand was still wrapped possessively in his larger one. She snatched it back before wrapping both of her arms around her midsection.

  The motion startled him and must’ve brought his attention back to the present. “So I’ve never really done this before,” he said, still holding her file.

  “You mean you’re not really an orthopedic surgeon?”

  “Of course I am.” He gestured to the framed diplomas and awards he’d yet to permanently hang on the walls. So he’d gone to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, followed by med school at Dartmouth. Pretty impressive—if they weren’t forgeries. But even someone as suspicious as Mia had to doubt that anyone would go so far as to fake a medical career in the military and then open a board-certified surgical practice. “I meant I’ve never had a relationship with one of my patients.”

  “We didn’t have a relationship.” It was best for her to make sure he understood that what happened between them was a one-time deal and there would never ever be an encore. “And maybe it’s not such a good idea for me to become one of your patients.”

  Mia looked down then took a step back and tripped over the stool, which banged into the metal exam table as she lost her balance and tumbled to the floor. Her bad knee thudded against the wheel of the stool and she gasped in pain.

  Garrett was beside her in a heartbeat, straightening her leg and asking where it hurt. When she didn’t answer, he said, “Looks like you’re going to be my patient whether you want to or not. I think you should let me help you up onto the table so I can take a look and see if you did any damage.”

  Unless she wanted to sit on the floor indefinitely, she would have to allow him to assist her. But instead of pulling her up, he reached behind her back and under her legs and lifted her toward his chest.

  When he stood, all the blood left her head and was replaced with a spinning dizziness. She didn’t know if it was the nausea that had been plaguing her, the stress of the situation or feeling him so close to her again. Either way, she tamped down her instinct to wrap her own arms around his neck and reached toward the exam table to steady herself as she maneuvered her body onto it and away from him.

  He stepped back, eyeing her as though she should be seeing a psychiatrist, not a surgeon. He rubbed his finger across his forehead and she remembered the gesture from the hotel bar.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were a doctor? Or that you were opening a practice in Sugar Falls?”

  “The subject never came up.” His lips were clamped tightly and Mia realized he was keeping something a secret... Oh, no.

  “Oh, my gosh! Are you married?” Her eyes darted to his ring finger, but it was still bare—just as it had been that night. Of course, that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

  “What? No, I’m not married. Are you?”

  “Of course not. I already told you I was a miss.” She tried not to sound offended at the suggestion that she would cheat on her nonexistent spouse with a stranger in a hotel bar. But she’d considered the same thing about him.

  He opened her file and glanced at it briefly, almost as if he didn’t believe her verbal answer and was looking for written proof. She held her breath, knowing what information he was about to read and then saw him do a double take when his eyes got halfway down the page.

  Right where the question about pregnancy was.

  “Oh, my God.” He looked at her still-flat stomach. “How far along are you?”

  This was it. She could lie and say she was further along to try to get him to believe that the baby wasn’t his. But since he was actually going to be working in Sugar Falls, he’d see her regularly and figure things out when her baby was born nine months after the night they spent in the hotel.

  “I’m in my first trimester,” she said, giving a generic but truthful response. “My first appointment with the OB/GYN is next Monday so I’ll know for sure then.” She stood up, wanting to end this conversation before it could even begin, but her leg buckled and she had to hold on to the edge of the table so she wouldn’t fall to the ground.

  “What’s going on with your knee?” he asked, still looking at the papers in his hand. This time, he didn’t make an effort to help her back up, which was fine because she was balancing okay on one limb and she didn’t think she could handle having him pick her up or hold her close to him again.

  She’d almost forgotten her entire reason for making this stupid appointment in the first place. Her damn knee was getting her into more problems lately.

  “I had replacement surgery three years ago, and it just never felt like it healed right. Anyway, it’s been bothering me more lately and I thought I should get it looked at before the ba...” The word froze in her mouth when he looked back up at her. “But seeing as how this is probably some sort of conflict of interest or something, I think I’ll probably just see a specialist down in Boise.”

  “Do you go to Boise a lot?”

  He was inches away from her and his eyes were staring deep into hers, questioning her, challengin
g her to explain an answer to something he wasn’t coming out and asking directly.

  The back of her good leg bumped into the exam table and she realized she was trying to get away from his intent gaze. “Why does Boise matter?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said and looked back at her file. What exactly didn’t matter to him? Her driving habits to the nearest big city? Or the night they shared there?

  “Why don’t you let me take a look at your knee?”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea...” She pulled herself up straighter and looked at the closed door, wondering how quickly she could hop through it.

  “Listen, Mia. You can let me do my job and examine your knee, or we can talk about your obstetrician’s job and whether your due date is anywhere close to nine months after September third.”

  He remembered the exact night they’d been together. And he obviously wanted to discuss it, yet he was being a gentleman and giving her the opportunity to talk about her injury instead.

  She scooted her rear onto the exam table as quickly as she could, having never felt so grateful to have a bum knee as she was then.

  * * *

  Mia Palinski.

  The woman he hadn’t been able to get out of his mind for the past two months was now sitting in his office, tugging her leather boots down over a pair of tight black leggings.

  And she was pregnant.

  He’d dreamed about her disrobing in front of him again, but not in his barely established medical practice. And definitely not with Cessy Walker hanging out on the other side of the door. Garrett was a consummate professional, which was the only way he was going to get through this increasingly awkward appointment.

  He was dying to ask her a hundred questions, but Mia looked at him as though he were a drug-resistant strain of some unheard-of disease.